[The prognostic significance of pre-existing lymphocytotoxic antibodies in cadaveric kidney allografts with a negative specific crossmatch]. / Prognosticheskoe znachenie predsushchestvuiushchikh limfotsitotoksicheskikh antitel pri allotransplantatsiiakh trupnoi pochki s otritsatel'nym spetsificheskim kross-matchem.

The paper presents the results obtained on preexisting lymphocytotoxic antibodies in 110 patients with the use of cryopreserved donor lymphocytes. Preexisting antibodies (PA) are shown to display in 52% of primary patients in the nephrological department. Follow-up measurements gave evidence on PA levels fluctuations following an undulating form. The analysis of the transplants 3-month survival in the negative cross-match indicated a better prognosis in those patients who showed antibodies to none of the donors. The presence of lymphocytotoxic reactions even of nondonor specificity, on the contrary, made the prognosis much worse.

[The use of monoclonal antibodies for determining the transferrin content of the urine]. / Ispol'zovanie monoklonal'nykh antitel dlia opredeleniia soderzhaniia transferrina v moche.

The authors used monoclonal antibodies to human transferrin for the development of a high-sensitive test system for the assessment of transferrin levels in urine with enzyme immunoassay. The conditions of the immunoassay performance were optimized. The sensitivity of the test system enabled the authors to define the levels of transferrin up to 1 ng/ml. Tests for the detection of transferrin in patients with chronic pyelonephritis and chronic renal failure were performed. The designed test system permitted transferrin to be revealed in the urine of those patients who had negative results during a radial immunodiffusion. The authors demonstrated the possibility of using the developed monoclonal antibodies in laser nephelometry for the detection of blood and urinary transferrin levels.

[The characteristics of proteinuria during intensive physical loading]. / Osobennosti proteinurii pri intensivnykh fizicheskikh nagruzakh.

Intensive physical exercise result in certain changes in the body, kidneys in particular. A total of 23 highly qualified sportsmen were investigated for plasma proteins in the urine before and after the graded bicycle ergometry. The impairment of renal reabsorption due to physical load was evidenced by significant amounts of albumin in the afterload urinalyses of all the examinees, and the appearance of IgG in urinalysis of 6 sportsmen in comparison to the urinalysis before the exercise which reported insignificant levels of albumin in 6 subjects only.

[The content of the carcinoembryonic antigen in the blood serum of patients with bladder tumors at various stages of combined treatment in relation to the disease stage]. / Soderzhanie rakovo-émbrional'nogo antigena v syvorotke krovi bol'nykh s opukholiami mochevogo puzyria na razlichnykh étapakh kombinirovannogo lechenia v zavisimosti ot stadii zabolevaniia.

Serum level of a tumor marker, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), was examined in patients at different stages of vesical cancer before and during combined treatment, including preoperative large-fraction radiotherapy and surgery. Sixty patients with histologically documented vesical cancer, stages T1N0M0, T2N0M0, T3N0-1M0 and T4N0M0 were investigated. All patients underwent large-fraction radiotherapy prior to surgery. Transvesical resection of the bladder wall with the tumor or cystectomy was performed within 24-72 hrs after radiation exposure. Serum CEA was measured repeatedly (on admission, after preoperative radiotherapy, postoperatively, at discharge) by enzyme immunoassays. It is demonstrated that CEA variation in the course of combined treatment depends on the stage of cancer. CEA level decreased after preoperative large-fraction radiotherapy in patients with T1, T3 and T4 stages of cancer, and increased in patients at the T2 stage. Following combined treatment, serum CEA was reduced two-fourfold as compared to pretreatment values in patients with first, third and fourth stages of vesical cancer, an evidence of the adequacy and radical quality of treatment and a favorable predictive sign.

[Reprocessing of capillary dialyzers]. / Reprotsessing kapilliarnykh dializatorov.

Changes in biocompatibility parameters of the cuprophan membrane, used repeatedly after reprocessing, were assessed. It is demonstrated that when the dialyzer is applied for the second of third time, cuprophan membrane loses its ability to induce acute dialysis leucopenia, typical for first application. Repeatedly used dialyzers also failed to cause bone-marrow irritation, which at first use induced a release of juvenile neutrophils into the circulation. Prior to first application, 6 dialyzers were subjected to 3 reprocessing procedures each. In all three, the cellulose membrane did not lose its ability to cause acute leucopenia. Therefore, the chemical reagents used in reprocessing (hydrogen peroxide, sodium hypochlorite and formaldehyde) are not the cause of membrane's loss of ability to induce leucopenia. Used for 3 times running, capillary dialyzers do not essentially lose their effective capillary volume. To determine whether the dialyzer is suitable for repeated use, both visual and objective check-up of the device is necessary. Some aspects of reprocessing technology are discussed.